“I love to hear people's stories. People listen to The Judds, and
we listen to them, whether it's people listening to our music, coming
to see one of my speaking engagements, reading one of the books that I
write or going to see Ashley's (Ashley Judd's) movies. But we get
inspired by them.” Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd is an American country music artist, activist and author.
She became famous throughout the 1980s and early 1990s as part of the
phenomenal country music duo The Judds with her daughter, Wynonna Judd.
During this period, the group scored 14 No. 1 singles with “Mama
He's Crazy,” “Why Not Me,” “Girls' Night
Out,” “Love Is Alive,” “Have Mercy,”
“Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days),” “Rockin'
with the Rhythm of the Rain,” “Cry Myself to Sleep,”
“I Know Where I'm Going,” “Maybe Your Baby's Got the
Blues,” “Turn It Loose,” “Change of
Heart,” “Young Love (Strong Love) and “Let Me Tell
You About Love” as well as won five Grammy Awards. The Judds was
forced to end abruptly after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in
1991. They reunited later between 1998 and 2000 and then from 2008 to
2010. While her daughter prefers to pursue a solo music career after
The Judds ended, Naomi embarked on an acting career, with credits
including important roles in the films “Family Tree”
(1999), “A Holiday Romance” (1999, TV) and “The
Killing Game” (2011, TV). She also becomes an activist and writes
several books.

“I say that I will never be free of hepatitis C as long as
somebody else out there is suffering. I still make visits to hospitals
and to folks who are, God bless them, on the transplant list.”
Naomi Judd

Diana Ellen

Childhood and Family:

One of four children, Diana Ellen Judd was born on January 11, 1946, in
Origin Ashland, Kentucky. Her father, Charles Glen Judd, was a gas
station owner, while her mother, Pauline Judd, was a homemaker
turned riverboat cook. She attended Crabbe Grade School in Ashland,
Kentucky.

Naomi married first husband Michael Ciminella on January 3, 1964, when
she was 18 years old. Tshe gave birth to first child Christina
Ciminella (later Wynonna Judd) on May 30, 1964 and then Ashley Tyler
Ciminella Jude on April 19, 1968 before she divorced her husband in
1972 due to physical abuse. After the divorce, she raised her daughters
as a single mother on welfare support and later took a nursing school
at the College of Marin, in California. She changed her name to Naomi
Ellen Judd when she started pursuing a career in music with her
daughter.

Naomi married her second husband Larry Strickland of the Palmetto State
Quartet on May 4, 1989. They have no children together.

A Holiday Romance

Career:

Former domestic violence victim and registered nurse Naomi
Judd had her first taste in front of the film camera when
she landed a bit part as a girl in bus in the 1979 film “More
American Graffiti.” She went on to appear in the 1983 made of
television movie “Living Proof: The Hank Williams, Jr.
Story,” starring Richard Thomas, Lenora May and Liane Langland.
It was also in that same year that Naomi launched her musical career
with her daughter Wynonna in the country music duo The Judds. The duo
released their first EP, “Wynonna & Naomi,” in 1983
under RCA Records. Produced by Brent Maher, the album peaked at No. 8
on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No. 153 on the Billboard 200.
The lead single “Had a Dream (For the Heart)” reached No.
17 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, marking their first charting
single. The second single “Mama He's Crazy” became their
first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and brought them a
Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
“Wynonna & Naomi” was eventually certified gold by the
RIAA.

In 1984, The Judds returned with their first full length studio album,
“Why Not Me,” with the same producer Brent Maher. The album
rocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and went on to
receive double platinum certification from the RIAA. The album charted
at No. 71 on the Billboard 200 and No. 78 on the Canadian RPM Top
Albums. The title track scored at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country
Singles fro two weeks from December 22 to 29, 1984 and spent a total of
15 weeks on the chart. The duo won a second Grammy for Best Country
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song. The album
generated two more No.1 country hits with “Girls' Night
Out” and “Love Is Alive.”

The Judds released “Rockin' with the Rhythm” in 1985. It
became the duo's second No. 1 album on the Billboard Top Country Albums
and also reached No. 66 on the Billboard 200. It has been certified
platinum in the US and gold in Canada. “Rockin' with the
Rhythm” produced four No. 1 hit singles: “Have Mercy”
(1985), “Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)” (1986),
“Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain” (1986) and “Cry
Myself to Sleep” (1986). “Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the
Good Ol' Days)” won a 1987 Grammy in the category of Best Country
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

In 1987, The Judds released “Heartland,” which marked the
duo's third consecutive No. 1 album. The album peaked at No. 52 on the
Billboard 200 and No. 40 on the Canadian RPM Top Albums and was
certified platinum and gold in the US and Canada, respectively. The
album was released in Europe under the title “Give a Little
Love,” as a 15 track compilation. It reached No. 1 on England's
country album charts in 1987, soon after The Judds toured there.
“Heartland” contained three No.1 country singles: “I
Know Where I'm Going” (1987), “Maybe Your Baby's Got the
Blues” (1987) and “Turn It Loose” (1988) as well as a
Top 10 hit, “Don't Be Cruel” (a cover of Elvis Presley
song).

A greatest hits compilation album, “Greatest Hits,” was
released in August 1988. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country
Albums and No. 76 on the Billboard 200. It went on to sell more than
one million copies in the US alone. The album spawned two singles:
“Give a Little Love” and “Change of Heart,”
which peaked at No.2 and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country
Singles, respectively. “Give a Little Love” nabbed a 1989
Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with
Vocal.

A new studio album called “River of Time” came up in
February 1989. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top
Country Albums, No. 51 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on The Canadian
RPM Albums chart. It went on to receive gold in the US. The first two
singles “Young Love (Strong Love)” and “Let Me Tell
You About Love” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs,
while the third single from the album “One Man Woman”
peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Country Singles & Tracks. The
fourth and final single “Guardian Angel” charted at No. 16
on the US Country Chart, making it the duo's first single since 1983 to
miss Top 10.

On September 11, 1990, The Judds released the album “Love Can
Build a Bridge,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top
Country Albums and No. 62 on the Billboard 200. The album generated
three Top 10 hit singles: “Born to Be Blue” (#5 US
Country), “Love Can Build a Bridge” (#5 US Country) and
“One Hundred and Two” (#6, US Country) and a Top 40 hit
“John Deere Tractor” (#29 US Country). The title track won
a 1992 Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with
Vocal. The album was eventually certified platinum in the US and gold
in Canada.

Despite the duo's phenomenal success, The Judds was forced to retire
after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1991. Their Farewell Tour
emerged as the top grossing tour in the music industry in 1991. On
September 10, 1991, The Judds released a second greatest hits
collection titled “Greatest Hits Volume Two,” which peaked
at No. 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No. 54 on the
Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album became the
duo's final release before Wynonna parted for a solo career.

Following her retirement from The Judds, Naomi established the Naomi
Judd Education and Research Fund to raise awareness of the fatal
Hepatitis C virus in 1991, and later became the spokesperson for
the American Liver Foundation. Naomi eventually could overcome
the disease.

In 1993, Naomi resumed her acting career by playing the role of Flora
Mae Pepper on the made of television film “Rio Diablo.” She
went on to land guest spots in television shows like
“Sisters” (1994), “The Client” (1996) and
“3rd Rock from the Sun” (1993, as Frances Randell), and in
1998, she starred as Understanding Angel in the animated video short
“Littlest Angel's Easter.” She portrayed Sarah
Musser in the drama/family film “Family Tree” (1999),
opposite Robert Forster and Andrew Lawrence, and starred as Lily Waite
in the television film “A Holiday Romance” (1999), with
Andy Griffith and Gerald McRaney.

Naomi and her daughter Wynonna reunited for a reunion concert at the
America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on New Year's Eve, December 31,
1999. In 2000, the Judds embarked on their “Power to Change
Tour.” A “Reunion Live” album was released on May 9,
2000. The album reached No. 16 and No. 107 on the Billboard Top
Country Albums and the Billboard 200, respectively. 2000 also saw the
release of the single “Stuck in Love,” the duo's first
single in almost a decade. The song peaked at No. 26 on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs. “Stuck in Love” was part of
the duo's four song EP called “Big Bang Boogie,” which was
included as a bonus in Wynonnaa's solo album, “New Day
Dawning” (2000).

Naomi appeared as Liz in an episode of “Touched by an
Angel” called “Mother's Day” (2000). In the following
years, she had a bit part as a makeup artist in “Someone Like
You...” (2001), starring her daughter Ashley Judd, and guest
starred in the television shows “ Maybe It's Me” (2002, as
Tillie Krupp) and “Frasier” (2002, as Lillian).

In November 2005, Naomi started to host a talk show, “Naomi's New
Morning,” on the Hallmark Channel. The show lasted two
seasons.

Between 2008 and 2009, Naomi served as judge/ mentor on a new
television reality competition series “Can You Duet.” The
show, by the producers of “American Idol,” aired on Country
Music Television.

In September 2010, The Judds appeared on “ The Oprah Winfrey
Show,” where they performed their new single, “ I
Will Stand By You.” The song was released on October 4, 2010 as
the title track of The Judds' 2011 greatest hits collection, “I
Will Stand by You: The Essential Collection.”

In 2011, Naomi co-starred with Laura Prepon, Ty Olsson and Teryl
Rotherya in the made for television film “The Killing
Game.”

Naomi is also known as an author. In 1993, she published an
autobiography called “Naomi Judd: Love Can Build A Bridge.”
She also wrote other books like “Naomi's Home Companion: A
Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food For Thought, and Kitchen Wit and
Wisdom” (1997), the children's books, “Love Can Build a
Bridge” (1999) and “Guardian Angels” (2000), and
“Naomi's Guide to Aging Gratefully: Facts, Myths and Good News
for Boomers” (2007).

Awards:

Grammy: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, “Love Can Build A Bridge,” 1992
Grammy: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, “Give A Little Love,” 1989
Grammy: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, “Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days),” 1987
Grammy: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, “Why Not Me,” 1986
Grammy: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, “Mama He's Crazy,” 1985